The present invention relates to a door locking assembly for a vehicle for operating a door locking device capable of holding a vehicle door assembly on a vehicle body, and to a vehicular door having the door locking assembly.
In a prior art of this kind, a door locking assembly for vehicles is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-17248 (1995), and a vehicular door assembly is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-201252 (1993).
In the former system of the prior art, a door key cylinder to lock a door assembly with respect to a vehicle body is supported by a door outer panel. The door key cylinder is supported not only by a door outer panel but also by a stay fixed on the door outer panel so that it may be supported at its two ends. On the other hand, a door locking device to be associated with the door key cylinder is arranged between the door outer panel and a door inner panel, and the door key cylinder is associated with the door locking device by a connection rod which is arranged between the door outer panel and the door inner panel. In fact, the door assembly is normally composed of the door outer panel, the door inner panel, and a door trim which are connected to each other.
In the latter device of the prior art, on the other hand, the door locking device is supported by the door inner panel. The door locking device is fixed on the face of the door inner panel on the inner side of a vehicle compartment and is covered with the door trimming. On the other hand, the weather strip is fixed on the door trimming, and a seal between the vehicle door and the vehicle body is provided by causing the weather strip to contact with the vehicle body.
According to the former system of the prior art, however, the stay is required for supporting the door key cylinder thereby to increase the number of parts. Since the door locking device is interposed between the door inner panel and the door outer panel and since a connection rod for associating the door locking device and the door key cylinder device is interposed between the door inner panel and the door outer panel, on the other hand, the connection rod and/or the door locking device may be unlawfully operated along the windshield of the vehicle door from the vehicle door on the outer side of the vehicle compartment.
Since the door locking device is interposed between the door inner panel and the door trimming, according to the latter device of the prior art, the door locking device is hardly operated unlawfully. However, there has never been proposed such a connection structure between the door key cylinder and the door locking device as is effective for the unlawful operation. In the latter device of the prior art, on the other hand, the weather strip for providing the seal between the vehicle door and the vehicle body is fixed on the door trimming to contact with the door trimming and the vehicle body. As a result, the sealing force may be reduced if the door trimming is deformed due to its thermal shrinkage or aging.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a door locking assembly for a vehicle, which is improved in an anti-lawful operation by improving the connection structure between a door locking device and a door key cylinder, and a vehicle door assembly having the vehicular door locking assembly.
In order to achieve the above-specified object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a door locking assembly for a vehicle comprising: a door locking device adapted to be fixed on the face of a door inner panel of a vehicle door on the inner side of a vehicle compartment and including a locking member and an open member; and a door key cylinder adapted to be so arranged on the face of a door outer panel of said vehicle door on the outer side of the vehicle compartment as to be supported by said door outer panel and said door inner panel and so extended through said door inner panel as to be associated with the locking member of said door locking device.
According to this first aspect, the door key cylinder is supported at its two ends by the door outer panel and the door inner panel. Unlike the prior art, therefore, the stay is not required to reduce the number of parts. On the other hand, the door locking device is arranged at the door inner panel on the inner side of the vehicle compartment, and the door locking device and the door key cylinder are connected at the door inner panel on the inner side of the vehicle compartment. As a result, an anti-lawful operation can be improved better than the prior art.
Preferably, the vehicular door locking assembly may further comprise a first connection rod arranged at said door inner panel on the inner side of the vehicle compartment and connected to the locking member and the door key cylinder of said door locking device.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a door assembly for a vehicle comprising: a door outer panel for providing the external appearance of a vehicle door on the outer side of a vehicle compartment; a door inner panel fixed on the face of said door outer panel on the inner side of the vehicle compartment; a door trimming fixed on the face of said door inner panel on the inner side of the vehicle compartment for providing the external appearance of the vehicle door on the inner side of the vehicle compartment; a door locking device fixed on the face of said door inner panel on the inner side of the vehicle compartment and arranged in a space between said door inner panel and said door trimming for holding said vehicle door on the vehicle body; and a weather strip contacting with said door inner panel and said vehicle body for providing a seal between said vehicle door and said vehicle body.
According to this second aspect, the door locking device is arranged at the door inner panel on the inner side of the vehicle compartment so that it can be connected at the door inner panel on the inner side of the vehicle compartment to the door key cylinder for operating it. As a result, an anti-lawful operation can be improved better than the prior art. On the other hand, the weather strip contacts with the door inner panel and the vehicle body so that it is not influenced by the deformation or the like of the door trimming but can ensure the seal between the vehicle body and the vehicle door.
Preferably, the vehicular door assembly may further comprise a door key cylinder supported by said door outer panel and said door inner panel and associated with a locking member of said door locking device.